September 26, 2013

09/26/13: The Washington Post reports some security officials and relief groups are coming under attack as they struggle to reach victims in earthquake-ravaged southwestern Pakistan, demonstrating the volatile conditions in areas hardest hit by Tuesday’s 7.7 magnitude temblor. As rescue efforts enter a third day, officials reported at least 350 fatalities and more than 500 injuries in the country’s restive Baluchistan province. But many areas remained inaccessible Thursday, raising fears that the death toll could be far higher. The quake was centered near an impoverished area where many homes are built of mud and rock. The area is also home to several insurgent and militant groups, some of which have been fighting Pakistan's army for years. But rescue efforts slowed Thursday when an army helicopter carrying two high-ranking generals came under rocket fire near the province’s Awaran district, where an estimated 20,000 homes have collapsed.